Loss
by Rick James
Summary: I can't say much without giving away the plot. Just know chapter one is just a taste of things to come.
1. Shock

To all that read:  
I am a fan of Inuyasha, and in desperate need of an outlet for me to wax creative. A few years back, I penned under the name Jerome Miller... but I forgot the password and canclled the e-mail address. So in a way, Kagome is to Kykio as Rick James is to Jerome Miller. Chapter one is the warm up.  
  
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"Hurry Inuyasha, we have to stop the bleeding!" Kagome hurriedly removed her shirt and wadded it into a ball. She then forcefully pressed the cloth against a deep wound on her comrade's abdomen in an attempt to stop the river of blood from escaping.  
  
"Move." Inuyasha's booming voice commanded. In a blur of motion, Inuyasha had removed his cloak and tied it around the wounded person's waist as a makeshift bandage. "I hope that holds... I hate to move him, but we can't help him here." Inuyasha thought as he assessed the options. Gently scooping up the unconscious body in his arms, the half-demon turned to his companions. "We crossed over a road not far back. Kagome, do you hear me?" She was paralyzed, shocked by the pool of blood that soaked the ground where her friend had so recently laid. "Kagome, find Sango and meet us at the road. GO!" His shout roused her from her stupor and the two ran off in opposite directions.  
  
By the time Kagome had found Sango and reached the road, Inuyasha had set their comrade down on the shoulder of the road and was pacing furiously. "Fucking took you long enough. Stay here, I can't move him anymore with the wounds how they are." With that, he rushed toward the town that they had last passed.  
  
"What do we do now?" Kagome fretted in vain. Turning her attention back toward the wounded, she sat down next to him and grasped his right hand, stunned by its frailty and lack of warmth. The chill in Miroku's hands alerted her senses to the frost that threatened her own bare shoulders. Shivering, Kagome began rubbing her hands against Miroku's to increase circulation. "Inuyasha, hurry."  
  
An hour passes without any sign of his return. "Creak, snap, groan." Both Kagome and Sango's heads shot up at the sound of something approaching on the road. A thick mist coated the valley in which they were currently sitting, limiting visibility to a matter of feet. "Creak, snap groan." The noise seemed to be continually repeating as it slowly grew closer. Squinting her eyes reflexively, Kagome could discern a faint outline of what appeared to be a supply cart. Leaping to her feet, she ran down the muddy road toward the emerging caravan.  
  
"Kagome, wait!" Sango shouted. Paying no heed, Kagome continued to flag down the travelers.  
  
"Please help... our friend... was horribly wounded!" She panted as she approached the lead wagon.  
  
"Slow down now little girl," a kindly old woman replied, "What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Our friend, Miroku. His stomach was cut open, and has lost too much blood." The old woman's eyes hardened drastically.  
  
"Take me." She said, while shouting to her friends in a dialect that was foreign to Kagome. Trading the reigns for a small leather bag with a young boy that had emerged, the woman stepped onto the ground and followed Kagome over to where Sango waited. The old woman carefully removed the bandage Inuyasha had applied and whistled between her teeth. Kagome wasn't sure, but it looked as though Sango had sobbed slightly when she saw the wound. Almost as soon as she had opened the jacket, blood began to pour fresh, mixing with the morning dew in a grotesque trail. Sango began to reapply the bandage when the woman angrily slapped her hand away. "Fool, let me work." The woman had taken some herbs from the pouch the young boy had given her. Crumpling the leaves into small pieces, she spit into her hands and rubbed them together, causing a greenish lather to form. Then, she spread the lather in the wound and said a prayer over him. "We must get him to shelter immediately or your friend will not survive to see the sunset." The woman turned to her companions at the cart and shouted in Kagome's dialect, "Get him in the back."  
  
Light moisture had started to mist after loading Miroku into the back of the wagon. Kagome eyed the group warily, not fully trusting their newfound companions. "What the hell?" Inuyasha barked as he landed next to Sango. "Where did these gypsies come from?" The wagon moved down the road.  
  
"They are helping us take Miroku to the town." Kagome pleaded her case. "They came down the path about an hour after you had left. The old woman used some medicinal herbs to curb his bleeding."  
  
"I don't like it, but there is no healer in that town... so I guess if these people have medicine..." he trailed off. Kagome was sure that she heard Sango gasp at the words no healer. "Put this on, Kagome. You need a shirt on a day like this." Inuyasha removed his white undershirt and set it on her pale shoulders. The rain began to fall.  
  
They had been unable to find lodging due to their association with gypsies, so the troop set up a camp just outside the town. Feeling useless, Inuyasha has spent his time building a sturdy, one roomed shelter. "Wow Inuyasha, I can't believe that you put this place together so quickly. It is... cozy." Kagome in the center slightly mystified.  
  
"It serves its purpose." He replied coolly. The shelter was built from logs that he had cut by using Testing on the forest they had just departed. Inside the one room was a mat of hay for Miroku and a small cleared area for a fire, which Kagome was currently building. "There is going to be a big storm today." Was all he said before leaving the shelter into the damp noon. "It's ready," he called as he approached Miroku's wagon. Inside the cart, Sango sat motionless next to her fallen comrade, grasping his hand between hers. Inuyasha gently carried Miroku into the shelter and set him on the stack of hay that was furthest from the fire pit.  
  
"Inuyasha I believe your name was, could you please come here for a moment?" The gypsy woman asked from the shelter's doorway. "You left something in the cart." The half-demon rose and walked out toward the caravan. "I have done all that I can." The gypsy woman said to Inuyasha once they were out of earshot. "The herbs stopped the bleeding, however it looks as though he has lost too much blood to survive... I offer my condolences."  
  
Okay everyone. I've noticed that the Inuyasha board is very light with the reviews. So my continued writing is dependant upon R&Ring. If you like it, let me know what I am doing right. If you don't like it, let me know so I can make it better and increase the quality of future posts. 


	2. Sango

"The herbs stopped the bleeding, however it looks as though he has lost too much blood to survive... I offer my condolences. Try to keep him as comfortable as possible, and the wound needs to be cauterized, however my caravan must be moving along. The inhabitants of this town are beginning to act very hostile toward us, and I do not wish to cause them hardship." She returned Inuyasha's blood-stained cloak. The rain had begun in force, drenching the two.  
  
"Wait, that's it? You don't want something in return for your help?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Consider it a favor to be repaid later." And with that, she left to tend to her own party.  
  
Inuyasha was now inside the hut looking rather angry. Sango was kneeling somberly next to Miroku with a pot of water and a damp cloth. "He is burning with fever... where are the gypsies?" A pause took the women by surprise. "Inuyasha?" Sango probed his face, but he would not return her gaze. Instead, Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsuiga and set the tip into the fire below the pot of stew cooking in the center of the room. Sango nodded and gingerly opened Miroku's bandages. After the steel began to glow slightly orange, he withdrew the weapon and asked the women to leave the room.  
  
Kagome felt sick as she crossed out the threshold to the stormy midday. The image of the flesh missing from across her friend's torso burned into her eyelids, making peace unattainable. Off to the women's right was a large, smooth rock that looked to be somewhat comfortable, and was far enough away to give respite from the smell of Miroku's burning skin that wafted from inside. "Sango, how about we go sit over there for a spell?" As Kagome began to walk, she heard a heavy thud on the ground behind her. Sango had sunk to her knees and was weeping uncontrollably. White rivers of tears fell down her face, as she stared vacantly into the sky. Her soft, sable hair was strewn about in spidery tangles. A thick rain beat against her face, mixing with the grief flowing from her eyes. Sango's arms were outstretched from her body, and she slowly fell face forward into the muddy ground. Earth muffled her screams as she pummeled the soil around her with every ounce of strength in her body. As the continued sobbing made her screaming impossible, her fingers dug deep trenches that quickly filled from the deluge.  
  
"Sango..." Was all that Kagome could manage while standing above her grieving. Sango looked up with eyes that burned of anguish. Her face was a deep crimson, and mud was smeared across her visage. Without speaking, Sango rose to her feet and walked calmly back inside, attempting to wipe the apparent weakness from her face with the back of her sleeve. Inuyasha had finished tending to Miroku, and was sitting in the corner lost in thought. When the women entered, he abruptly stood and walked out the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Kagome asked weakly.  
  
"The bastard that did this to Miroku is still out there." He paused as he sheathed Tetsuiga. "I'm going hunting."  
  
Just outside the gates of the town, a cloaked figure moved silently through the shadows.  
  
A/N- I told you it would get better... Still in first gear though... Much better, and much longer to come. So please r&r... if you don't, I will just finish this story without posting anything! 


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